Even the most successful organizations know there’s always room for improvement. Clemens Food Group, a respected leader in the food manufacturing industry, saw an opportunity to refine its hiring process to align new team members more closely with their values and long-term goals. They weren’t fixing a broken system but looking to make a good process even better.
If you’ve ever struggled to balance growing your workforce while maintaining high standards for cultural fit and performance, you’re not alone. Many organizations face the challenge of finding and retaining the right people while ensuring those hires contribute meaningfully to the business. Without a clear, strategic hiring approach, it’s easy to fall into reactive hiring, which leads to misaligned teams and higher turnover.
The Metiss Group brings decades of experience helping organizations overcome these challenges. By blending data-driven tools with behavioral insights, they’ve guided countless businesses in building hiring processes that foster alignment, reduce turnover, and create high-performing teams. Their expertise in cultural assessments, leadership development, and structured hiring frameworks has made them a trusted partner for companies looking to achieve lasting workforce success.
In this article, you will learn how the behavior experts at The Metiss Group helped Clemens Food Group go beyond meeting their immediate needs and guided them in transforming their hiring strategy using The Hiring Process Coach™ and External Candidate Review Certifications.
Who is Clemens Food Group?
Clemens Food Group is a well-respected leader in the food manufacturing industry, known for producing top-quality products and nurturing a culture of community and innovation. Headquartered in Pennsylvania, the company operates numerous production facilities and employs over 5,000 team members.
Clemens Food Group has built a legacy that attracts talented individuals who value a workplace grounded in family values and a strong sense of purpose. “It’s amazing working in a company with such an incredible history. I appreciate our community focus and the impact the Clemens family has on our employees,” shared Keith Stahler, Director of Human Resources.
The Metiss Group Partnership
In March 2013, Clemens Food Group established a strategic partnership with The Metiss Group. This collaboration started with defining key roles within Clemens Food Group to lay the foundation for a more robust hiring strategy.
By 2014, The Metiss Group began training Clemens Food Group’s HR team to create detailed job scorecards and profiles, essential components for hiring the right candidates. The company later invested in having its HR team complete assessment certification through The Metiss Group to sustain the improvements and continue optimizing their hiring processes.
“We feel fortunate to have The Metiss Group as one of our key partners. All of the team members at The Metiss Group have been extremely helpful in guiding our team and strengthening our company,”Keith Stahler, Director of Human Resources.
The Hiring Process Coach™ Process Steps Used In this Case Study
The cornerstone of Clemens Food Group's hiring transformation was the implementation of The Hiring Process Coach™, a structured process with The Metiss Group designed to ensure hiring aligns seamlessly with an organization's long-term goals. This case study shows how The Hiring Process Coach™ provided Clemens Food Group with tools and expertise that were incorporated into their hiring process in four distinct phases:
Job Scorecard and Job Profile Creation: The Metiss Group worked with Clemens Food Group to develop comprehensive job scorecards and profiles. These documents outlined the key competencies, behaviors, and personal skills needed for each role, ensuring candidates were assessed against critical criteria that aligned with the company’s mission and values.
Attraction Strategy: The Hiring Process Coach™ also helped Clemens Food Group refine its attraction strategy. This included aligning job postings and candidate outreach efforts with the qualities detailed in the job scorecards. By strategically targeting candidates who embodied the desired traits, the company enhanced its ability to attract individuals who would thrive in their culture.
Pre-Screening and Assessment: A pivotal step in the process was the integration of The Metiss Group’s four-science candidate assessment approach, which uses workplace behaviors, motivators, personal skills assessments, and critical thinking. The External Candidate Review (ECR) tool became a key element in evaluating candidates against job profiles. One HR team member shared, “We like how comprehensive and insightful the ECR tool is. It’s simple to administer and quickly interpreted. This means we can focus more on finding the best fit for our team.” The pre-screening assisted leaders in understanding where to focus additional screening based on who matched Clemens Food Group’s expectations as the selection process continued.
Interview and Selection Support: The Metiss Group provided tailored interview guides and support to ensure Clemens Food Group’s hiring managers conducted focused, effective interviews that further assessed candidates’ alignment with the job profile. This targeted approach allowed leaders to probe into areas identified in the pre-screening phase, leading to better-informed decisions.
Leaders Trained
The training provided by The Metiss Group has had a substantial impact, with over 20 HR leaders and more than 10 senior leaders and department heads in key departments receiving comprehensive training.
This empowered Clemens Food Group’s leaders to make strategic, confident hiring decisions that align with the company’s long-term vision.
A senior leader reflected, “The training we’ve received through The Metiss Group has empowered our HR leaders and hiring managers to make decisions with greater clarity and confidence. This depth of understanding is something that’s been transformative for our team.”
The training workshops delivered by The Metiss Group were known for their practicality and engagement. Participants gained tools and insights that were immediately applicable, supported by robust resources and the availability of coaches for follow-up assistance.
Value of Assessment Certification
The Metiss Group’s assessment certification proved essential in refining Clemens Food Group’s hiring practices. This certification equipped HR leaders and hiring managers with a framework to assess candidates beyond resumes and interviews.
“The assessment certification has been invaluable in helping us make better hiring decisions. We’re now more equipped to identify the right fit, which has led to stronger, more cohesive teams,” said one HR leader.
The certification gave hiring managers the confidence and tools to ensure candidates met the specific needs of the job and the culture.
Value of External Candidate Review (ECR)
The External Candidate Review (ECR) tool, part of The Metiss Group’s four science approach, simplified the evaluation process and enhanced candidate selection. Its ease of use allowed HR leaders to efficiently administer assessments, ensuring a positive candidate experience while focusing on job fit.
One team member stated, “ECR has been a game changer for us in candidate evaluations. The insights go beyond the surface, helping us identify key strengths and areas to consider before making a decision.”
By matching candidates against detailed job profiles and leveraging historical data of successful hires, Clemens Food Group was able to consistently bring on new team members who aligned with the company’s culture. This strategic approach resulted in higher retention and better long-term performance.
Impact of The Hiring Process Coach™
Since overhauling their hiring processes, Clemens Food Group has evaluated more than 1,500 candidates and welcomed around 500 new team members.
The company achieved this by refining their approach to hiring, focusing on creating detailed job scorecards and using structured evaluation tools to assess candidates against their culture and role-specific needs.
This work wasn’t just about filling vacancies; it was about finding individuals who aligned with Clemens Food Group’s values and long-term goals.
By establishing clear hiring criteria and leveraging structured assessments, the company improved both the quality and fit of their hires.
These changes didn’t happen overnight but required intentional effort to understand what made their best hires successful and replicate that success.
The impact was significant. The organization experienced reduced turnover rates as new hires integrated more seamlessly, thanks to their alignment with the company’s mission and culture.
This also resulted in enhanced productivity, as teams became more cohesive and better equipped to collaborate effectively.
Leaders reported greater confidence in their hiring decisions, knowing they were bringing in individuals who could contribute meaningfully to the organization’s success.
For Clemens Food Group, this transformation highlights a broader challenge many businesses face: the cost of ineffective hiring practices.
Without a deliberate process to evaluate not just skills but also cultural fit, organizations risk high turnover, lower engagement, and wasted resources.
Clemens Food Group’s journey serves as a reminder of the value in prioritizing alignment and quality in hiring—not just for immediate needs, but to build a sustainable, engaged workforce for the future.
This strategic partnership has resulted in more confident HR leaders, better-aligned hires, reduced turnover, and a culture that continues to thrive.
“The Metiss Group’s approach has allowed us to zero in on candidates who not only meet the qualifications but also share our values,” said a hiring manager.
How Do You Start The Hiring Process Coach™?
The partnership has demonstrated the importance of aligning hiring practices with strategic goals to build resilient, high-performing teams.
Clemens Food Group’s experience serves as a model for companies looking to strengthen their hiring and onboarding processes through strategic partnerships and well-structured frameworks.
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